January 1st, 12:01 AM
by TStabler
Summary: A series of New Years Eve themed fics, similar to my Christmas ones. E/O with the squad and the family. Some will be slightly AU and some will contain some, ahem, lovin'.
1. Lucky Year One Shot

**A/N: And the first of my New Year fics. Posted on the day after Christmas, as promised. From now till New Year's Eve! If my imagination can come up with that many New Year's Eve scenario's....Oh, it will, doy!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters are owned by Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue and narrative owned and protected by TStabler©**

"Okay, how about 'I will eat less fattening foods'," Casey offered. Olivia looked at her like she was crazy, and Alex and Melinda were not exactly looking at her like she was sane, either. "Oh, right. You don't eat them to begin with."

"Um...oh! 'I will not aim my gun at Alex'." Alex said with a big, toothy grin.

"When have I ever pulled my gun on you?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow and pursing her lips.

Alex took a bite of her sandwich. "Never, I would just like it to stay that way."

"Oh, I have the perfect resolution for you, Olivia," Melinda said, smirking at Casey and Alex. "What about, 'I will kiss Elliot Stabler at midnight on New Year's Eve?"

"Perfect," Alex said.

Casey clapped and bowed to Melinda. "I am not worthy. You have found the Holy Grail, Dr. Warner."

Olivia, white and slightly pasty, choked on her salad. "Woah, hey, guys. I said I wanted you to help me make a New Year's resolution not a death wish!"

"He's single now, and we all know he's crazy about you, Olivia!" Casey, drinking her glass of wine, tried to convince her friend to go with it. "It could be your lucky year!"

Olivia shook her head. "Yeah, he's single, but _crazy_ about me? Negative. You're all _delusional_. Besides, I'd be risking my job, our partnership, our friendship...everything," she said staring into her water glass. "I just...can't."

Melinda, drinking her wine, looked at Olivia in shock. "Olivia, _you know_ he's nuts about you. We all do. What makes you think you'll screw everything up by kissing him?"

"Guys, come on! I haven't had the luckiest year of my life, and I'm not about to push my luck, that I _don't_ have, by _kissing_ the _only_ man who ever _mattered_ to me. He'll disappear. SHe bit her bottom lip and quietly added, "Like everyone else." Suddenly Olivia got up and headed toward the ladies room.

"Well, if she can't make the resolution, we're just gonna have to make it for her," Alex said with a sly, impish grin.

Casey chuckled as she looked at Melinda, then at Alex. "Okay, counselor. I know that look. Let's hear this diabolical plan of yours."

Smirking, Alex told them every sordid detail.

* * *

"Okay, Case. Yeah, I got it! Meet you here at nine. I still don't see why we couldn't just meet at the...I know, that's what you said but, Fin is right here I could just...hello? She hung up on me," Olivia said as she flicked her phone shut and tossed it on her desk.

"What was that about anyway?" Elliot asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Well, tonight was supposed to be a girl thing, since _a week_ ago we were all blissfully single. But, then Casey hooked up with Fin, Munch grew some balls and asked Alex out, and Melinda is seeing some blonde doctor she works with. So, instead of going to O'Malley's like we planned, now, as you know, we're going to some little sit down Tapas place. I assume you're bringing some leggy blonde or perky-boobed redhead. I get to be the, uh, _ninth_ wheel."

"Eighth," Elliot corrected.

"You're not bringing a date?" Olivia asked, hoping the excitement and joy in her voice was well hidden.

Elliot shook his head. "Nope. You and I get to be like the, uh, training wheels, I guess. The stable relationship keeping the confused, awkward couples from tumbling over all night." He flushed. He had just implied that he and Olivia were in a relationship, and a stable one at that. "I mean, ya know, cause we've been partners for so long that we're uh..."

"I know what you meant, El." She went back to typing her paperwork. "You wouldn't have meant it any other way," she said almost under her breath.

"Yo, El, man," Fin said. "I'm havin' car problems. Casey's pickin' me up, so I can't take you. Just meet us here at nine. We'll hoof it. Cool?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, Fin. No problem."

Olivia looked up from her computer. "Wait, that doesn't make any....Casey was supposed to pick me up because my lack of car makes driving hard. She just told me that _her_ car was in the...oh, maybe I'm just getting wires crossed it's been a long day." Olivia said with a shrug. "People are not having any luck today."

* * *

Olivia walked into the bullpen, double checking her bag for everything she'd need. "All right, I couldn't get a taxi, and these shoes were not really designed to...okay, a room full of nobody." She looked around and the squadroom was empty. She checked her watch. It was nine-oh-four. Where was everyone?

"Hey guys, I had to park all the way down the street...Liv," Elliot stopped in his tracks when he took in the sight before him. She was _stunning_. Her hair fell to her shoulders, down and wavy. The navy blue, sparkly dress she was wearing hugged every curve and hit at just above the knee. The V-cut neckline was just low enough to be sexy and not low-enough to be slutty. It was perfectly Olivia. "You look incredible."

She blushed. Dammit. "Oh, thank you, El. You look quite dashing yourself." Did she really just say dashing? Her brain had melted the moment he walked in. The suit he had on hit every rippling muscle in just the right way, and the color off-set his cerulean eyes perfectly. She could look into those eyes forever.

They heard the door slam and it made both of them jump. They heard the jingle of keys and a slip of paper passed under the door. Olivia ran over and retrieved it, and when she read it, her face went white, her blood ran cold and she wanted to die. "I'm going to kill them, and you're going to help me."

"What?" Elliot asked, perplexed.

"Listen to this, El. 'Hey guys. Champagne on Captain's desk for you. You can see the ball drop from Interrogation Room One. Sorry to do this to you, but it's the only way either of you will keep your resolution. Good luck. We'll be back at twelve-oh-five to unlock the door. Happy New Year. Fin, Munch, Casey, Alex and Melinda.' Those sons of bitches," she declared, pressing her lips together.

"Oh, great. I knew Fin was gonna do something like this the minute he suggested that I..." he stopped himself.

Olivia looked up at him. "That you...what?"

"Well, Liv, Fin kind of _gave_ me my New Year's resolution," Elliot said, throwing his hand in the air.

Olivia laughed. "Well, I got _mine_ from the great Dr. Warner. I told her she was shit out of luck. Guess doctors and lawyers don't like to take 'no' for an answer, huh?"

"Neither do cops, Liv." He sat on the edge of the desk next to her. "Well, lucky us," he said going into Cragen's office to get the champagne. He came back and popped the cork, making Olivia laugh. "We're stuck here, might as well make the most of it."

Olivia nodded as she took a plastic cup of the bubbly from Elliot. "No one else I'd rather be trapped in a room with," she said with a smirk as they toasted.

By eleven-thirty they had _talked_ about _everything._ From how Elliot and the kids were handling life without Kathy, great all around, to what they each thought about the latest Bon Jovi album, loved it. Somehow, they ended up on the interrogation table, with the bottle of champagne half gone. They were cuddling, her head was on his chest and he was absent-mindedly stroking her hair. They had been involved in an intense word association game for the last ten minutes, and the last word Elliot had said was "rainbow."

Liv hummed. "Pot of gold."

Elliot laughed. "Leprechaun."

"Lucky charms," said Olivia laughing. She'd been thinking of the cartoon one from the breakfast cereal commercial.

Elliot said, "Four-leaf clover."

There was silence for a moment. "You," Olivia said softly.

"What?" Elliot said. "I couldn't here you, baby."

Her head popped up. He just called her baby. Really? "Uh, I said, 'you'."

"How do you get the letter U from 'four leaf clover' ? You mean like a horseshoe?" He furrowed his brow.

"No, not the letter U. _You_, you." She pointed to him, for emphasis. "You. Elliot Stabler. Because, you're Irish. And...rare, like a four-leaf clover. Ya know?" She said, biting her bottom lip.

"Uh, okay. I guess." Elliot went to pull her back down on the table with him, but she hopped up.

"I mean, think about it! You could have a field of clover and you could spend an eternity looking through _every _single one, and you're _always _just going to come up with the stupid, piddly little _three_-leaf clovers that aren't _lucky_ at _all_, they just _think _they are because they're _green_ and clover-_like._ They'll never make you happy, you'll just always compare them to the four-leaf clover. You'll look at them and resent them and finally throw them away, because they'll just never be as good as the fucking four-leaf clover."

She threw her hand in a wild gesture and took two steps back. "Then, stupid you, you go right back out into the field and try again, pulling and ripping at the clover, but still, all you get is goddamn _three_-leaf clovers, the annoying fuckers. And the _one _you _want_, the one you really fucking _want,_ the one with the _four _goddamn leaves? You can't _have_ it because there was only _one _in the whole fucking _bunch_ and some arrogant, blonde _bitch_ skipped through the damn field before you did and found it and plucked it, and now it's all bent and broken and it thinks its luck has run out, but that's _only_ because the person who had it before, the _fucking idiot_ who didn't know what a goddamn _treasure_ she had in her hands, mistreated it and didn't care for it the way that she _should _have and just left it there to _die_, when _I_, the one who really _needed_ the luck and the love and the _protection _that the fucking _four-leaf _clover could have given me for the last _nine damn years_, would have _cherished_ it, and kept it _safe_, and wouldn't have let anything or anyone do anything to hurt you...it...the clover."

"Wow, Liv," Elliot got up to go to her, to somehow stop the tears that were running down her cheeks.

"Don't, El," she said, putting a hand up to keep him at bay. She sniffled. "I don't even know where that came from. Or why I'm crying. But, I do know that you have to stay there."

"Okay," he said. "Liv, so you said...me? That whole rant about plants, that was about...me."

Olivia scoffed. "You're in the wrong line of work. You should be a detective. Oh...wait," she said, with a sarcastic laugh through her tears. "Look, it's almost midnight. I don't wanna spend the last five minutes of _this_ year feeling the way I've felt for the last..."

"Nine years?" Elliot asked, worry etched in his chiseled features.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Why do you pick now to pick up on my brilliant use of metaphor?"

"Well, Liv, now I'm right there with ya. If you said 'me', then I have to say 'you', because the only thing that makes sense to me, the only person I can think of when I think about myself, is you. We belong together, Benson and Stabler. I got that whole rant, Liv. I mean, there were a lot of 'goddamns' and 'fucks' but I understood. And, Liv, I want to be...no I _am_ yourfour-leaf clover. I have loved and protected you, haven't I? I just couldn't, I mean I didn't think you wanted me, so I tried to make things work with Kathy. I've _wanted_ to be _yours _for the last _nine damn years_." He pulled her into a hug, inhaled her scent and sighed. And when he pulled back, they could hear the people on the street outside counting down. "I think your luck is about to change, Liv." They knew the ball was dropping, but they weren't interested. _They_ were counting down to something _else._

The moment their eyes met, all was lost. The kiss was everything they had each imagined it could and would be. Gentle and rough, welcome and imposing, emotional and lustful, passionate and aggressive, giving and hungry, desperate and understanding and above all else filled with pure, unadulterated love.

They weren't sure how long they'd been standing in the cold, metallic room kissing like their lives depended on it, but when they could no longer breathe, they pulled away from each other, reluctantly. "Happy New Year, baby." Elliot said. "What do you think this year's gonna be like for us?"

"Damn lucky," Olivia replied. They laughed, sharing their little inside joke. "I've already kept my resolution."

"What do you know, Liv, so have I," Elliot said, smirking. "I'm about to do it again, too."

"Hmm...must be my lucky night," Olivia said smiling as Elliot gave her her second kiss of the new year, oblivious to the five smirking people watching from the two-way mirror.

**A/N: Hmmmm, and your thoughts of the first NYE fic?? **


	2. Don't Bet On It One Shot

**A/N: Another NYW one-shot. I like it =) Hopefully you will, too! Read/Review please?**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and SVU components belong to Dick Wolf. The rest of the buttons and baubles that make this story pretty belong to TStabler©**

"I've never used my handcuffs for anything other than arresting a perp," Munch said. His eyes widened as everyone else at the table, including Casey and Alex, took a shot. "Wait, how do you two even have handcuffs?' he asked the tipsy A.D.A's

"Well, they're Fin's, but technically half of everything he has is mine....right?" Casey said, smirking.

Alex looked up and licked the remains of the Jack Daniels off of her lips. "You guys need to be more careful with where you leave your shit," she said, eyeballing Olivia. "And, Munch, I know what I'm getting you for your birthday now." She winked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Okay," Casey said. "Um, I have never filled in those stupid comment cards in the lobby of the courthouse, because I really like my job and if they knew what I thought, then, uh, you'd all need to bail my ass out of jail for contempt or something," she laughed.

Munch was the only one to take a shot. He had five pairs of eyes staring at him when he put the little glass down and wiped his mouth. "What? I think they need to know what we think so they can improve the working environment. Besides, it's a conspiracy. If you don't fill them out..."

"Okay, honey," Alex said, cupping a hand over his mouth. "It's eleven-thirty on New Year's Eve, I am not wasting the last half-hour of this year listening to your crazy theories."

Munch licked Alex's hand, making her pull it away with a gross look on her face, eliciting laughter from the table. "Okay, I," Fin said raising his glass to the sky, then to Munch, "have never, not once, slept with my partner." Fin pushed his full shot glass very far away from him and made a gagging noise.

Olivia looked at Elliot, her shot glass raised halfway toward her lips, and narrowed her eyes. He shrugged, with a smirk on his face, and they both swung back their drinks and put their glasses back on the table. Empty.

"Hey, you two, Fin went," Casey said. "And you didn't have new shots?"

"We did," Elliot said, still grinning.

Olivia tried to wipe the smirk off of her face, but she couldn't it. She bit her lip to keep from laughing and squeezed Elliot's knee under the table, waiting for the reactions of the four people who were staring at their empty shot-glasses.

"Um, you heard him, right?" Alex said. Olivia and Elliot nodded, then Olivia poked her empty shot glass, making it wobble back and forth, saying, "Heard him, took the shots. We know how to play this game, guys."

"Oh, my God," Fin said, his jaw dropping and eyes widening. "When? How? How long has this been going on? What?"

Elliot laughed, putting his arm around the back of Olivia's chair. "Wow, Fin. Your interrogation tactics blow."

"Are you serious? You're not joking?" Alex questioned, staring at Olivia.

Olivia gave Alex a look that meant business, as if this was something they'd discussed and she should already know the answer. "Would_ I_ really joke about _this_, Alex?"

"Um, no. No, you wouldn't. Damn," the blonde lawyer said. "I don't know why I wasn't told sooner, or how I didn't figure it out, but all I can really say is that it's about time."

"Excuse me?" Elliot said, laughing and twirling his shot glass.

Alex cleared her throat, but Casey spoke up. "What my drunken pal means, you two, is that we've spent _years _wondering when you would realize that whatever was there, between you, couldn't be ignored. We all had bets on when you'd _actually_ get together. So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, when _exactly_ was it, because I've got the spreadsheet in my Blackberry and a large chunk of change riding on this," she said, whipping out her phone.

Sending Elliot another knowing look, Olivia said, "February 19th".

"What? That's almost a year!" Munch yelled. "How did you keep this from us for almost a year?"

Elliot shrugged and poured another shot for himself and Olivia. "We're really good at keeping it out of work. Wouldn't wanna get fired, or have to switch partners, would we? I can't work with your ass, Munch."

Casey scrolled through her Blackberry and balked. "We've been had, fellas," she said to the table. "Look who bet two-hundred bucks on the nineteenth of February."

"Stabler?" Fin asked. "You bet on...but how? Munch wouldn't have taken a bet from you!"

"No, but he would have taken one from the pimply kid in the mailroom," he said with a chuckle.

"How did you know? You know...the nineteenth, though, I mean...Olivia could have turned you down...or..."Alex sputtered.

"February nineteenth was the day his divorce was finalized," Olivia clarified, turning the shot-glass in her fingers. "And he knew there was no way in _hell_ I was turning him down." She turned to Elliot who was counting the money he got from Casey. "Half of that is mine, by the way."

Laughing, Elliot handed her a hundred bucks and held up his shot glass. "Okay, I got one. I have never lied during a drinking game to get even with my friends for taking bets on my personal life." He downed the shot, as did Olivia. He took in the amused, shocked faces at the table, then he rose from his seat, and held out his hand to her. "We should go. If we wanna get down there and force our way through the crowd to see the ball drop, we're gonna need the next few minutes to flash badges and push people around."

"Woah, so you two aren't....but you were..." Alex sputtered again as she got up.

Olivia looked at her sympathetically. "Aw, she goes all stupid when she's drunk. Hey, Alex, either we _are_ and we _just_ lied to you _now,_ or we _aren't_ and we lied to you five minutes ago. Either way, _I'm_ a hundred bucks richer and leaving you all wondering."

Munch groaned. "It's a conspiracy," he said. "And now we'll never know the truth." He got up to put on his jacket, but he stopped and pointed. "Hey, we can see the ball from here, ya know." He walking over to window on the far side of the bar. "We could stay here, away from the crowd, and the cold."

"Fine by me," Fin said, grabbing Casey's hand.

Elliot watched the four of them, Alex, Munch, Casey and Fin, crowd around the window before he turned to Olivia.

"Well?" he asked, waiting for her to acknowledge something.

"Nice cover," Olivia said smugly, entwining her fingers with his. "But, now, does this mean I can't kiss you at midnight?"

Elliot looked at his watch, turned back to his friends who were sharing another bottle of whiskey, and said, "In ten minutes they're gonna be so _wasted_ they're not even going remember that it's New Year's Eve, let _alone_ some silly game we were playing. I just feel bad for lying to them."

"Which time?" she said laughing. "When you told them you placed an _actual _bet through a pimply mail boy, or when we lied about the _date_, or when you told them we weren't..."

"Okay," he laughed. "But they _deserved_ it. I'm just glad you found out about it, stole Casey's phone and rigged the bet. Why February nineteenth, again?

"Because, no one had picked it, so I figured she'd be less inclined to argue with you," Olivia declared, fixing Elliot's tie. "She wouldn't remember who had placed a bet that day, because no one _did_."

"My little genius." Elliot brushed a hair out of her face as he told her, "But, you gave her the _real_ reason. I mean, we did get together the second the ink was dry on my divorce papers."

"Well, it wasn't _dry_, Elliot. You signed them and ran into my apartment like a raging bull," she said laughing and playing with one of his buttons. "Anyway, I knew they'd believe it. I just think it's really sad that they were so far _gone_ they couldn't remember that you've only been divorced for eight months," she said smirking.

Laughing, Elliot walked Olivia over to the window and wrapped his arms around her. The countdown began, and Elliot squeezed her tighter. He whispered something into her ear and she smiled. Looking up at him, she blinked away a tear as she said, "I love you, too, El." He told her all the time, but it still made her a bit emotional.

They watched the big, sparkly, blinking ball start to descend and as soon as it dropped, he turned Olivia around in his arms and kissed her, deeply. Munch and Alex shared a kiss, as did Casey and Fin, but their kisses paled in comparison to what was happening between Olivia and Elliot.

The four onlookers were flabbergasted. Munch cleared his throat and the two pulled apart. "Okay, so you _are_ together. For real?"

Their foreheads were still touching as they chuckled, kissed again, and then looked at their friends and nodded.

Olivia looked at Munch. "You will not bet on when we're getting married, when we're having kids or how long it's gonna last," she warned. "I think we've made it pretty clear that not only will we find out, but we'll find a way to win _and_ torture you in the process."

The six friends shared a laugh. "Okay," Casey said. "I learned my lesson. Don't bet on a sure thing," she laughed.

Fin held up his glass. "Hey, Happy New Year guys."

The group responded, toasting to the three-hundred and sixty-five days ahead knowing that, with friends like these, it would be one hell of a year.

**A/N: That could so happen. Couldn't it? Thanks for reading! **


	3. Locked In One Shot

**A/N: So if you were forced to spend New Years Eve with someone you were not on good terms with, what would happen? SMUT warning...**

**DISCALIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. This lil' saga and its dialogue, narrative and plot are exclusively TStabler's©**

It was ten o'clock on New Year's Eve, and the detectives from Manhattan's Special Victim's Unit and their A.D.A's were in the hallway of the courthouse preparing to venture out on their sojourn to take the city by storm. "Alex," Olivia said. "I have to make a phone call, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Okay," the blonde lawyer said. "Don't be too long, our reservations are for _ten_ people at ten-thirty. Any less, and we'll be sitting with strangers. They'll stick someone in your seat!" Alex led the group out of the building.

Olivia smiled as she watched her friends leave. She stepped into Alex's office and whipped out her cell phone. She hung up when there was no answer, and as she turned to leave, Elliot was blocking her way. "Okay, move it Stabler. Our friends are waiting. So is my _date_. _And_ yours," she spat trying to get by him.

"I'm not leaving until we talk about this, Liv. I'm not ringing in the new year with my best friend pissed off at me." He closed the door and stepped into the room.

Olivia pushed him aside and turned to face him. "You started this shit, El. What the hell happened with this case, huh? Everything got to you. The vics hair, her eyes, her family history. We've had a thousand just like her and you took all of your aggression out on me," she yelled.

Elliot sighed. "She was _you_, Liv." He took a step toward her, reaching for her. "I made it personal..."

Olivia gasped. "Oh, we are so not doing this now," she said as she pulled on the door. "Oh, no." She pulled harder, twisting the knob. "Fuck, Elliot, it's locked!"

"I know. I knew you'd tried to run so I locked it. Just unlock the fucker and leave, like you always do." Elliot ran a hand through his hair.

"You jackass! This is an _attorney's_ office! You can lock it from inside but you can only _un_lock it from _outside_!" She kicked the door, and looked back at him. "And what the hell do you mean, she was _me_?"

Elliot laughed. "Christ, Liv. Now you wanna talk about it?"

"Well, while I'm calling Alex, begging her to come back and get us out of here, I got nothing better to do," she huffed, dialing her cell.

"Fine. She had _your_ hair, _your_ eyes, her name was Grace, which is your _middle_ name, her mother was raped which is why she was even born. Liv, I couldn't _look_ at _her_ and not _see you_!" Elliot yelled, louder than he intended.

Speechless, Olivia just hung up the phone. "Uh, no answer." She walked swiftly by Elliot again and sat in one of the leather chairs by Alex's desk. "So, you saw _me_ in the vic, which gave you cause to yell at me and question my abilities at every turn?"

"Liv," he said as he sat in the chair next to hers. "I didn't mean _anything_ I said, I was just...so wrapped up, _consumed_, by this girl's rape and murder that I _needed_ to get the guy _myself_. Some part of my consciousness _believed_ that he was coming for _you_ next. Clearly, you're his _type_."

Olivia was about to say something but her phone rang. "Uh, hold on, El." She answered it with a flip and a muttering of her last name. "Alex! We're locked in your office....oh, um, okay then. We'll wait, I guess. Oh, can you tell Cole that I'm so sorry about this? Yeah, her, too. Thanks, and hurry the hell up! I really don't wanna be in this office with Stabler all night." She hung up the phone and gruffed. "They can't leave the restaurant or they'll lose the table. We have to wait till they're done eating, then someone will come back with the key for us."

"Great," Elliot said sarcastically. He looked at her. She was niting her lip, avoiding him. "I'm sorry, Liv. About everything.

Olivia shrugged. "I guess if some guy with amazing blue eyes and jet-black hair named Joseph ended up on a slab, I would have done the same thing," she said as she chipped the clear polish off of her nails.

Elliot smirked. "You think my eyes are amazing?"

"Jesus, Elliot, can you leave your ego at home for one _fucking _night?" she asked, irritated and slightly embarrassed. She got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the sea of people poised to see the ball drop. She watched the band playing on the stage closest to them and tried to ignore that Elliot was staring at her. She bit her lip again. She could feel him moving closer.

"Don't you wanna know why, Liv? Why I cared so much? Why _you_ would have gone a little crazy in the same situation?" He ran his hand up her bare arm, loving the fact that, despite the frigid weather, she wore a strapless, black, shimmery dress. He felt Olivia tense up and he squeezed her shoulder to try and ease it away.

Olivia swallowed, hard. She had dreamed of him touching her, some of the dreams started out just like this, but she didn't dare think that her dreams were about to come true. "Uh, no. Not really. I'm still very mad at you, some of those things you said..."

"Were stupid, and thoughtless, and I already told you I didn't _mean_ them. You _know_ me and my temper, Liv." His other hand ran up her other arm and joined in the massage, eliciting a moan from Olivia and he smirked. "Like that, huh?"

"Who _doesn't_ like a good massage, El? Besides, you have _really_ strong hands and," she paused when she moaned again. "Arms." Her eyes fluttered shut and her head dropped against the window, exposing more of her neck and back to Elliot. "That feels so good," she whispered, hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"It does, does it?" he asked, the shit-eating grin still on his face. "God, Liv, are you always this tense?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Well, maybe you should just relax," he said, narrowing his eyes. He knew what he was about to do was dangerous, but it was something he'd wanted for so long. He bent his head and his mouth was centimeters away from her neck when her phone rang. They both shot up, moving away from each other, as she answered it.

"Benson," she said. "Oh, well that's just terrific! You tell him I'm glad I could be of assistance and that he's welcome! And if you don't get down here and get me out of this office," she squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm going to do something _incredibly_ stupid to Elliot." She snapped her phone shut before Alex could ask what she meant and she threw her phone and her bag on one of the chairs. "I think you'd like to know, that our dates seem to think that we sent them there for _each other_ since we couldn't make it, and they are getting along just _fabulously_!"

"Good for them," he said. "I didn't really want to be with _her_ tonight anyway." He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward him, facing her, and he rested the open palm of his free on the side of her face. "Liv, I lost it today, when I saw you in that girl, because it scared the shit out of me. I love you, Liv, and I would die if anything happened to you."

Olivia felt a tear roll down her cheek. "You...what? Do you realize what you just said?"

Elliot smiled at her, and thumbed away her tear. "Yeah, baby. I know what I said. I know the consequences of saying it and I know that the fear of those consequences is what has kept us from saying it since my divorce. Since _before _my divorce, actually, because we _both_ know that we fell in love the minute we _met_. But, I'm not afraid anymore, Liv, because the fear of _losing _you before I even _had_ you is far more terrifying than the fear of being Munch's partner." He scooped her neck with the hand that was on her cheek and pulled her toward him. "I'm going to kiss you, unless you're still pissed off at me."

Olivia said nothing, she just stared deeply into his eyes and moved closer to him. That first kiss meant everything to her, she felt her world crash down around her and rebuild itself, bigger, better and stronger with every move of his lips and tongue against hers. She wrapped her hands around his back and pulled, moaned into his mouth and silently told him she needed more. Elliot pulled her tighter to him, he slowly moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, finding her pulse and attacking it with kisses and tiny bites. She fisted his hair in her hands, yanking a bit, and she moaned softly, egging him on. He reached down to her legs and skimmed his hands up to her thighs, sliding them further up her dress. "Tell me to stop and I will, Liv. If you don't, there's no telling how far I'm going. I've wanted this, with you, for too damn long, you can't expect self-control."

"Fuck self-control, El." She shoved his jacket off of his shoulders and he let it drop to the floor. He picked Olivia up and set her down on Alex's desk, looking into her eyes the whole time. He slid his hands back up her dress and gripped her silk panties, sliding them down and off, and putting them in his pocket. "These are coming home with me," he said, smirking, before he kissed her again. While he was kissing her, his left hand found its way back to her leg, then her thigh and then he swiped it down her center, and they both groaned. "God, Liv. I did that?" he questioned, marveling at her intense state of arousal.

"Elliot, you do that to me every fucking day," she replied, pulling him back to her mouth, kissing him again. He smiled against her lips as he gently shoved his finger into her, they both groaned again, and she tried to speak through their kisses. "God, El, baby."

Laughing as their mouths wrestled, he added another finger and started thrusting and twisting, and he let his thumb swipe her clit just once. He was shocked when her hips bucked up off of the desk into his hand and she bit his lip, moving her hand down to undo his belt. "Woah, there, Liv. We've got all night."

"No, we don't, El. Someone's coming to get us in about twenty minutes." She ran her hands up and down his chest as a look of panic came over him. They rushed to get his belt unbuckled and then, together, they shoved his pants and boxers down just enough to reveal his hardness. Olivia's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise, arousal and a hint of fear. This might hurt a bit.

"I love you, baby," he said as he positioned himself at her entrance. "I love you, too, El. So much." She kissed him, moaning and keening into his mouth as he sheathed himself inside of her, slowly, gently, but completely, needing to feel her swallow him whole. Her nails dug deeply into his back but he loved it. They were moving at a frantic rhythm, trying to rush because someone was coming. Someone with a key who could walk in and get an eyeful. But, they were moving deep, hard, together, also trying to savor this, cherish it, this was bliss. Kissing and eye-contact, the incredibly intimate and powerful connection, made their respective releases intense and explosive. He thrust so deep into her he could feel his tip kiss her womb and she clenched so tightly around him that he had no choice but to stay there, he was locked in. As their moans and pants subsided, they heard cheering and yelling from the window. Elliot looked at his watch.

"Shit. Happy New Year, baby," he said with a snicker.

Olivia pulled down her dress as Elliot stepped back to adjust himself and fix his belt. "Talk about ringing it in with a bang," she laughed. She hopped off the desk and smoothed out her hair, and stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"Happy New Year!" Munch yelled as the door swung open. "Woah, looks like they got over whatever it was they were fighting about."

Alex cleared her throat and threw a box of tissues at them. "Hey!" Olivia yelled. "Oh, uh, hi there! You're late."

"You try getting across midtown on New Year's Eve in under an hour. We brought champagne, and it's pretty clear that you two kissed and made up," Casey said, passing around cups. "Getting locked in here was a good thing, then. A blessing in disguise?"

"Yeah, something like that." Elliot smirked at Olivia, whose eyes twinkled at him. He kissed her again. "Happy New Year, everybody." He looked at Olivia, who peered up at him, too, and he knew that it definitely would be.

**A/N: You read it, can you review it? I love your feedback!!**


	4. New Life, New Partner, New Year One Shot

**A/N: For those of you who've read the "How to Love A Holiday Series" this is a follow up to "Fighty The Elf"**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

Olivia walked into the decorated hall and shuddered. It had only been two weeks since the Christmas party, and she wasn't exactly sure where she and Elliot stood right now. Sure, he had been staying with her, in her apartment, in her bed, saying things like "I love you," "you mean the world to me," "I can't live without you," and "this is what love is," but his divorce wasn't finalized yet, the kids missed him and the only way to see them was for him to go back to the house he shared with Kathy. That was three days ago. Her biggest fear was that the blonde bitch convinced him, as she was one to do, to stay and work it out.

"Some New Year's Eve this is gonna be," she thought. She spotted Munch and Alex, getting a head start on the drinking. She walked over and said hello, they offered her a shot, which she gladly accepted and took.

Munch looked at her through his sunglasses. "Sheesh, Olivia. Rough day?"

Olivia laughed. "No, but it's probably gonna be a rough night. Have you two seen Elliot?"

"No. We assumed he'd be coming with you, if he's coming at all," Alex said. "You're late, by the way. It's almost eleven-thirty!"

Olivia smirked. "Thanks, Mother Time," she said. She turned to the left and came in direct view of the glass doors that took her on that magic carpet ride with Elliot on Christmas Eve. She sighed, then walked toward them, her silver dress shimmying with her hips, the man watching her grinning appreciatively. She stepped out onto the deck, walked over to the side and leaned over the rail. She smirked, then chuckled, remembering that somewhere in that river, a pair of very expensive underwear was floating, or frozen, torn and useless.

They hadn't thought things through, at all. They hadn't talked about it, they simply acted on their feelings and their desires and it was amazing. The last two weeks had been incredible, and here, watching the lights and stars and the moon reflecting in the river, Olivia decided that if two weeks was all she was getting, then at least she had the chance to be with him at all. It was then when she felt his presence.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked, suggestive and snide all at once.

He chuckled, and stepped closer, running his hand down her back and resting his palm on her butt. "Very much, actually. But, I'd much rather see it from the front."

She turned around, he didn't move his hand, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arm the rest of the way around her. "Better?" she asked.

"Much," he ran his free hand over her entire body, as if he was trying to memorize her curves. "I have missed you, beautful. More than you know."

"We just saw each other, El," she remarked.

Elliot snickered. "I'm not talking about work, Liv. "I'm talking about," he paused to kiss her neck. "You. I'm sorry I haven't been home."

"Home?" she asked. Since when was her place his home?

"Yeah, I needed to take care of things with Kathy, get the kids packed, and I found this amazing place on West Fifty-Sixth Street. It's a bit farther from the precinct but the kids wont have to change schools, they'd all have their own rooms, and there's even an extra one if..."

"Woah, El!" Olivia's eyes were wide and her smile was a mix of excitement and shock. "What are you talking about? Pause, rewind, play in slow mo!"

Elliot laughed. "Liv, for the last three nights I have been with Kathy and every lawyer I know, including Alex and Casey, trying to rush things. Baby, the divorce was expedited and I got full custody of the kids. Kathy's year-long_ affair_ kind of cinched that one."

"Oh, El, that's wonderful!" She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Wait, what? Affair?"

Elliot laughed, then brought his lips down on hers. "Yep. Crazy bitch had the nerve to accuse me at every turn, but she was the one actually committing adultery. Christ, Liv, I could have been with you for a fucking year already," he said running his hands up and down her arms. It was freezing outside.

Olivia placed her hands on his hips and a realization hit her. "Oh, so _that's_ what you were talking about, you found a new house. For you and the kids," she said with a big smile. "I'm incredibly happy for you, El."

"Us, Liv," he said, looking into her eyes. "Us and the kids." He was amazed at the love he found in the pools of hot chocolate he was staring into, but before she could say anything, Fin swung the door open.

"Countdown's starting you guys," he said. "And there's four very jumpy people in here who wanna know what Liv's answer was. What's that about?" Fin raised an eyebrow and held the door open.

"Um, well, I didn't _ask_ her anything," Elliot said, glaring at Fin. He led Olivia into the party and his children crowded around her in excitement, hugging her and asking her questions she didn't understand. "Hey, woah, guys. Give her some air. Liv and I haven't discussed that yet, so just, relax, okay?"

"Dad," Maureen said, "You said you wanted to ask her before the..."

Elliot cut her off. "I know, Mo. Thank you." He wrapped his arms around Olivia and laughed. "See, they love you, and they want you to, uh, move in with us."

"Okay," Olivia said. "You don't think this is all moving a little fast?"

Elliot gulped. "No, Liv. I think we've been waiting for about nine years. We've been dating, really, if you think about it. Coffee, late night dinners, the incredible sexual tension hanging in the air between our desks, the fact that I gave you more of myself than I gave my wife. I know I've loved you for that long, and I don't wanna wait anymore." He kissed her cheek and they shared a smile as they looked up at the big screen TV to watch the ball drop.

Munch yelled, "Okay, everyone, here we go!" as he snuggled up to Alex.

"Yeah," Elliot said, sighing. "Here we go." He pulled Olivia in front of him, wrapping around her from behind, and took her hands in his.

Everyone started counting down from ten. Nine...eight...Elliot reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, shiny, round, diamond-encrusted object. Seven...six...he pulled Olivia's hand over to his and slipped the ring onto her finger. Five...four...she looked up at him, blinking away tears...in shock. Three..."Marry me, Liv?" he asked, nerves, fear, love and devotion in his voice. Two...one...Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him for all he was worth, letting everything she felt, everything she had been feeling since the day they met, filter through the kiss. They pulled apart and didn't notice everyone staring at them, they'd been kissing for quite some time. "Yes," she whispered to him, nuzzling his nose. "Yes?" he asked, unsure of whether or not he heard her correctly. She nodded, her forehead still pressed against his, and repeated, "Yes."

"Yes?" Dickie asked, excitement in his voice.

Olivia laughed. "Yes!" She yelled it this time, and all four of his children screamed in glee. "Good, now Kathy can go suck it," Maureen remarked. Elliot laughed in surprise and looked at his daughter with wide eyes, shaking his head. Olivia's jaw dropped and her hand shot over her mouth.

"Did we miss something?" Cragen asked, noting the sparkly bauble on Olivia's finger. "Something you two need to tell me?"

"I need a new partner. Happy New Year," Elliot said, then he pulled Olivia's hand away from her mouth and kissed her again, this time, knowing and not caring that everyone was watching.

**A/N: New Year, new partner, new life. Ah, fiction. Thoughts? **


	5. Cragen's Last Order One Shot

**A/N: If Captain Cragen was retiring on New Year's Eve, his last act as C.O would probably be to make sure his replacement was happy, right? Thought so. R/R!!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

With the last of his things packed in cardboard boxes, Don Cragen looked around the empty office and sighed. "Okay, Stabler. She's all yours. Take care of her." He turned to Elliot, shook his hand and smiled. "You'll be an amazing captain, Elliot. I'm glad you accepted the job."

"Well, thank Liv for that. She made me take the exam once you announced you were retiring," he said, squeezing Cragen's hand. "She has a lot of faith in me."

Cragen smirked. "So do I, Elliot." Don turned to pick up the box on his, well, Elliot's desk, and was about to leave the office, when he turned around. "Oh, Elliot, please, do not stand this girl up tonight. I went through a lot of trouble to convince her to meet you. It's New Year's Eve and you're doing me a favor. O'Harrah's Irish Alehouse at ten o'clock."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Cap, I know. I'm only doing this for you, ya know. I really...there's someone else I'd much rather..." he paused, then just shrugged. "I don't like dating."

Cragen smirked. "You'll like her, Elliot." With that, Cragen left and said his goodbyes to the rest of his squad.

Elliot walked out a few moments later to remove the rest of his things from his old desk and saw Olivia on the phone. He paused, listening to her conversation. "I don't know anything about him, Casey. Just that he's Don's nephew or something. I'm meeting him, having a drink, then getting a headache. No, not really, that's my general bailout excuse. 'Ow, oh my God, I have a migraine, I have to go,' ya know? Look, Casey, you know why!"

Elliot laughed and Olivia looked up and rolled her eyes. "Casey, I have to go. Captain Stabler, here, is being a dictator." Elliot's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Yeah, I'll call you when I get my headache and meet you guys. Bye."

"I'm a dictator?" he asked with a scoff.

Olivia smirked. "No, I just needed to get off the phone. That girl can talk like, well, like a prosecutor. I hate you, ya know."

"What? Why?" he said, hurt, and leaned up against his old desk.

Olivia sighed. "I know I made you take the test, I kind of pushed you into the Captain's chair, but..."

"I'm not going anywhere, Liv. Every chance I get, whenever I'm able, I'm out in that field with you." They shared a smile, a mixture of sad and happy. Then Elliot scrunched up his face. "You have date tonight?"

"Yeah," she replied, unenthusiastically. "A date that I don't want to go on, at all."

Elliot laughed. "Hey, me too. Doing a favor for Don."

"What do ya know? So am I. Well," she said rising to her feet, "I have to go try to make myself unattractive so as to turn this guy off completely. I'll see you at the Cap's midnight thing, right?"

"I will be there." They smiled at each other again. Before she left, he stopped her. "And, Liv, no matter what you do, you will never be unattractive and this guy, whoever he is, is gonna fall in love with you." She was taken aback, blushing, and she smiled at him again. "Thanks, El." She left before she could hear him say, "Just like I did."

Elliot was sitting at a table at O'Harrah's, at ten-fifteen, still waiting for his date to show up. Finally, he saw a gorgeous woman walking toward the table, but he knew there was no way she was there for him. His face lit up brightly as she came closer, closer. And he grinned widely when she stopped right in front of him.

"You are not Don's nephew," she said with a smirk.

He laughed at her. "And you're not his niece." He got up and pulled out her chair for her, tucking her in once she sat down. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"No, El, this is a set-up." Olivia rubbed her forehead and chuckled slightly.

A waiter came over with a bottle of champagne and a card. "This is the Cragen table, correct?" Elliot nodded. "Then this is for you. Enjoy." He set the bottle and two glasses down and handed Olivia the card, then walked away to tend to other guests.

"Oh, my God. You have got to be kidding me." She laughed to herself as she read the card, intriguing Elliot.

"You gonna read it to me or what, Liv?"

Olivia looked at him, then said, "Oh, sorry. It says, 'To my kids. Olivia and Elliot. By now, you've noticed that I've fixed you up with each other. I've watched you fight your feelings for the past eight years. You had to fight them because one of you was married, then you had to fight them because the two of you were afraid to make a move despite that marriage being over because you were still partners. Well, now you're not partners anymore. There's no law that says you can't date your Captain, Liv. My last act as your Commanding Officer, and yes, this is an order, is to allow yourselves to be happy. Tell each other how you feel, now that there's nothing stopping you. You'll be at the midnight bash, upstairs, at midnight. I expect to see you two arrive as a couple. It'll be the best retirement gift ever. Love always, Don."

Elliot blinked away a tear and coughed. "Wow," he said. "That man is really something, huh?" He popped the cork on the champagne, making Olivia laugh, and he poured two glasses.

"Yeah, he is," said Olivia as she sniffled. "Well, uh, seeing as how it was a direct order..." she paused to sip her champagne, needing a little liquid courage. "Elliot, I don't exactly know how to say this. I wasn't expecting to see you sitting here,"

"I know, Liv. It's okay. You can still get your headache," he said with a chuckle.

Olivia laughed. Then, biting her lip, she shook her head. "No, El, I was only going to bail on the guy because he _wasn't_ you. To be honest, there's no one in the world I'd rather be sitting here with. Cragen's right, El. I've been fighting these feelings, these intense feelings that I have for you, since the moment we met."

"What are you saying, Liv?" Elliot said, reaching for her hand, leaning over the table, looking into her eyes, a smile creeping across his face.

"I'm saying...well, I'm trying to say...I'm in love with you." Her gaze dropped from his for a moment and she downed the rest of her champagne.

"I have waited eight years to hear you say that. If those words would have came out of your mouth sooner, I would have left Kathy in a heartbeat. I just...I wasn't sure if...Christ, Liv. I've been in love with you forever. I love you." Elliot watched as her eyes slowly made their way back to his. He saw them sparkle as they never had before, and it made him smile widely. "You are so beautiful."

By eleven-fifty-five, they had finished the best meal they'd ever had on the best date either of them had ever been on. They spent the evening laughing, talking, joking, and if Elliot kissed Olivia's hand one more time she thought his lips were going to fall off. Elliot got up, pulled her chair out and escorted his lady upstairs to the waiting crowd of cops and lawyers, who, by now, were expecting them to arrive together. They walked into the party room, hand in hand, and were very aware of the eyes following them.

Fin ran over with two glasses of champagne. "So, when's the wedding?" he asked with a wink.

"Tomorrow," Olivia said, seriously, as she took a glass from his hands, enjoying the bemused expression on his face.

Elliot took the other glass and laughed. "She's kidding, Fin."

Fin relaxed. "Oh, wow. I was gonna say..."

"It's actually Wednesday. Donnelly's chambers. Just us and the kids." He sipped his champagne and smirked as Fin choked on his own drink. "Kidding, again."

"Man, I give up. You two just, go find a corner and get ready to grope each other," Fin said with a laugh as he wrapped his arm around Casey and walked away.

Olivia pulled Elliot toward the window, from which all of Times Square was visible, and wrapped his arms around her. "Is it just me or does this feel..."

"Perfect," he said, kissing her neck. "It isn't just you. This is absolutely perfect. This is where you belong, Liv. In my arms."

Olivia nodded, trying to burrow deeper into his cuddle. "We owe it all to Cragen, because you know I wouldn't have had the balls to say or do anything..."

"Hold that thought, baby." Elliot raised his glass, and cleared his throat. "Hey, guys. I have something to say, before that ball drops, bringing us into the next year, the first without Cragen at the helm of SVU." He turned, Olivia still in his arms, and looked at the man. "Don, you have been an amazing Captain, and I only hope I can fill those large shoes you've left me. You've always been strict, and sometimes you were a pain in the ass, but you were never, ever unfair and you took the heat and the blame for us whenever we fucked up. You always protected us. Even tonight, you made it your job to make us happy, when we should be the ones doing something great for you. So, Don, we'll miss you as our captain, but you'll always be a friend and a part of our family. We love you, and Liv and I, especially, thank you, for everything."

They toasted to their captain, who was now teary eyed, just as the countdown began. Elliot turned back to the window, and leaned down to Olivia's ear. "You ready for a new year, Liv?"

"Well, as long as you're beside me, El, I'm ready for anything." They barely heard the shouting and screaming of "Happy New Year" from the people in the room, as they had been caught up the most amazing kiss of their lives. Cragen, watching them, felt a surge of pride and happiness. He was leaving his unit in good hands, and now that Elliot and Olivia had the one thing, the one person, they'd always wanted, they were going to be happy, and it was all his doing. Don wrapped an arm around the woman he'd been seeing and smiled. "Happy New Year," he said. She smiled up at him, and they walked toward the group of people who were toasting in the middle of the room, leaving Elliot and Olivia lost in each other, still kissing, as the confetti fell around them. "Best retirement gift ever," they heard Cragen mumble as he passed them. They chuckled and smiled, as they turned to join their friends.

**A/N: SO something Cragen would do! Next story is going to take place when Liv and El are already together, involves the kids. =) **


	6. Yes, Yes, Yes One Shot

**A/N: For six of New York's finest, life changes at midnight.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

"One," Alex yelled with a sigh of relief. "Could you imagine? John would probably want to name it Conspiracy Theory Cabot-Munch"

"One," Casey cried. "Good. The world is not ready for a Mini-Fin."

Olivia remained silent. This was just not happening. Her whole life, she had dreamed of meeting a great man, getting married, then getting pregnant and having a baby, in that order. At least, she'd be having the baby after the wedding. "Two," she said, shooting a hand up to her mouth.

"Oh, my God," Alex said. "Happy New Year, Benson," she said with a smile.

Casey smirked at her. "Well, you knew your man was fertile."

Olivia, saying nothing, looked down at the plastic tube in her hands, and glared at the two little blue lines that stared back at her. This is not how she saw this New Year's Eve party starting. "Well, uh, thanks for doing this with me," she said, giving her girlfriends a hug.

"Hey, we all needed the support. We all could have been pregnant," Alex said.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, well, Um, I guess we go out there and pretend this is a good thing, and you can help me and the kids get the hors d'oeuvres out on the table."

"Olivia, this _is_ a good thing! You've wanted a baby for how long? And you know Elliot is going to..."

Olivia cut Casey off. "Freak the fuck out, Case. He has _four_ kids. I don't know if he wants _one_ with _me_, we haven't talked about it, and we're not married yet, we've only been engaged..."

"You don't have to be married, Liv. Welcome to the twenty-first century! He loves you," Alex said, comforting her. "He's going to be thrilled."

Olivia nodded and took a deep breath. She opened the bathroom door and the three girls walked out into the kitchen, walking right into the menfolk and kids.

"There they are," Munch said, wrapping his arms around Alex. "You ladies always go the bathroom in packs? Like wolves?"

"Yes," Alex said, shoving a cocktail onion into her mouth.

Olivia, pale and jittery, was struggling to get a jar of green olives open. Finally, she gave up and without looking at him she just handed it to Elliot and walked out of the kitchen. "Is she okay?" Elliot asked, looking at Casey and Alex.

"Um, yeah," Casey said. "She will be. I think."

Elliot popped the lid off the olives and passed the jar to Maureen, who ate one and shrugged as she watched her father run out of the kitchen. Elliot looked around the house for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. He noticed the bathroom door was closed again, and he knocked. "Liv? Baby?"

"Baby," she whispered, holding a hand to her belly. "Yeah, El. I'll uh, be right out." She looked down at the stick, smirking at her from the trash can, and blinked back the tears. She wanted this baby, and she needed him to want it, too. She stood up and flushed the toilet, for show, since she didn't actually use it, and opened the door, instantly being swooped into Elliot's waiting arms. "Hello," she said with a giggle.

"Hi." He kissed her, hungrily. She gave herself over to the kiss, relaxing into his arms, and let out a soft moan. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Damn, baby. You drive me crazy," he said, kissing her again.

"Aw, man! I just needed to use the bathroom, not watch my parents try to make me a big brother," Dickie sassed as he pushed his way into the bathroom.

Olivia balked at that statement. It was a bit late for that. "Okay," she said, pulling away from him. "That killed the mood."

Fin ran into the hallway and threw an arm around Olivia. "Baby-Girl, Casey just told me! That is so cool! I know you are gonna be one hell of a..." Olivia wrapped a hand around his mouth. "Back in the kitchen." She turned him around and shoved him. She remembered Elliot and looked up at him and smiled. "Guess they're already drinking. Excuse me," she said as she ran into the kitchen. "Okay, so how many of you know?"

Everyone held up a hand, including Maureen and Kathleen. "Great! You two can't keep your mouths shut, can you?" she asked, pointing to Casey and Alex.

"Hey," Alex said. " Leave me out od this. Blame Casey. She's the one who said, 'I've got a secret, you're never gonna guess,' then when Fin guessed, something that he thought couldn't possibly be it, she said 'damn, how'd you know'."

Olivia shook her head. "Thank you, Casey."

"Mom, this is really cool! Dad's gonna think so, too," Kathleen said.

Maureen nodded and hugged Olivia. "Yeah, I know you're scared, but he's gonna be happy. Do you want a boy...oh boy look at the time! It's almost midnight! Kathleen, we should get this stuff out to the living room!" The two girls grabbed the party trays and left the kitchen.

Olivia was confused until she turned around and saw Elliot behind her. "Oh, hey!"

"Hey, is there a reason Munch just offered me a cigar and called me 'daddy'?" He held up the cigar and raised an eyebrow at the people in the room.

Olivia was about to tell him, but Alex beat her to it. "Munch is very drunk, Elliot. In fact, I am gonna go find him and make sure he doesn't do that again. He's a very bad Munch."

Elliot chuckled. "Everyone seems to be quite drunk, Ms. Benson, yet I see no champagne in your hands." He led her out into the living room and handed her a glass, which she immediately put down. "I don't want any," she said. Elliot was very confused, but he looked, _really_ looked at Olivia, and his eyes sparkled with realization.

The countdown was about to begin, and Fin took Casey's glass, dropping a sparkling ring into it, and handed it back to her. "Okay guys, everybody find the person you wanna be kissin' in ten seconds and hold on," he said. "Life changes at midnight."

"Elliot, there's something I have to tell you," Olivia said, pulling him closer to her.

Munch, fingering the black box in his pocket, pulled Alex toward him and wrapped an arm around her. "Alex," he said, pulling out the box.

"Hey, Case, there's somethin' floatin' in your glass," Fin said.

Elliot nuzzled Olivia's nose. "What, baby?" He pecked her lips, three sweet kisses, then said, "You know you can tell me anything."

Alex turned to face Munch as the kids began yelling, "Ten...nine..." She saw the ring and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Will you marry me?" Munch asked.

"What is that?" Casey asked, sticking her finger into the glass. She pulled it out and gasped, "Oh, my God." Fin turned her chin toward him. "Yo, Novak. Marry me."

"Baby," Olivia whispered. She took one of Elliot's hands and, entangling it with hers, she placed it on her still-flat belly. She looked into his eyes, and she watched as a tear rolled down his cheek. "We're having a baby," she said.

Elliot's kids, the only ones counting, had reached three...two...one. "Happy New Year!" they all yelled, blowing into their noisemakers.

"Yes," Alex said, kissing Munch fiercely.

Casey turned in Fin's arms, crying and whispered, "Yes," as she kissed him.

"Say something, Elliot." Olivia was standing, nervous, with his hand and hers still on her stomach, praying that the tears he had shed were happy ones. Finally, he took his eyes off of her tummy and brought them back up to meet hers. "Really?" he asked. She nodded. His mouth slowly spread into a smile, then he chuckled, then he laughed a hearty, excited laugh. He picked her up in his arms and spun her around wildly, shouting, "Yes!" He put her down and kissed her, making the other two couples' kisses look like mere pecks between friends.

"I guess you're happy," Olivia said, wiping away a tear. "Baby, I'm ecstatic. I love you, so, so much. Why wouldn't I be happy that you're having my baby?"

Olivia nuzzled him. "We just never talked about kids. I didn't know if.."

"I want as many as you'll give me, Liv," he said, finishing her thought. "And you _know_ I'm certainly gonna enjoy making them," he said, smirking, as he kissed her again.

Olivia and Elliot were making out in a corner, Fin and Casey were dancing to _no_ music and Munch and Alex were making goofball faces at each other. Lizzie turned to her siblings. "Ya know, for adults, they are certainly acting like teenagers."

Laughing, Maureen said, "At least Grandpa Don's not."

"Yes he is," Dickie said. "He's not taking all those pictures for posterity."

Kathleen looked at him and gruffed. "What is he taking them for, then?"

Cragen and Dickie looked at each other and said, "Blackmail."

Lizzie simpered and said, "Well, look, at least they're all happy. Dad and Liv are getting married next month, so we can call her 'Mom' without her getting that funny look in her eyes, and we're gonna have a new baby around here. We're finally gonna be a complete family. It's gonna be a really happy new year," she said, leaning into her sister's arm. The Stabler kids all wrapped their arms around each other and watched their parents, still kissing.

"Yeah," Maureen said. "It is." A flash went off and they all glared at Cragen.

"Now, that one was for posterity," he said with a wink, knowing that they were right. It was going to be a happy new year.

**A/N: I had to get Cragen in there somehow!**


	7. Accidents Happen One Shot

**A/N: Accidents. There ain't no such thing, really...**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

Ten seconds to midnight, and all eyes were on the glittering ball, clearly visible from the large window on the left side of the bullpen. Everyone had a glass of champagne, and someone they really wanted to kiss the second the clock struck midnight. Elliot and Olivia had agreed to be each other's midnight kiss, as friends, partners, nothing more than a peck on the cheek, because these kisses were supposed to bring luck, and goddamn they needed all the luck they could get this year.

Fin, wrapped snugly around Casey, yelled, "Five...four...three...two...one!"

That's when it happened. He went for her cheek, but she moved. Lips. He got a mouthful of lips. They stepped back from each other for a moment, but that jolt, that fire between them that had been burning on a low simmer suddenly engulfed them, and Elliot pulled her back toward him, into a passionate embrace. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and she opened up and let him in. Olivia mentally yelled at herself to pull back, move away, slap him silly, but what the hell was her hand doing? It was grabbing Elliot's neck. Her champagne glass fell to the floor, shattering and spilling, as her other hand reached up to run through his hair. Elliot was lost. His hands were planted firmly on her hips, wrapping around her waist, pulling her tighter to him. His brain was pretty much fried, and he could only imagine what the two of them must look like right now.

"Holy shit," Alex said, gawking.

Munch raised a sunglass covered eyebrow. "You never kiss me like that," he told his blonde A.D.A girlfriend.

"I don't think I love you that much, yet," she said, still staring at Olivia and Elliot.

Fin and Casey, each with a hand on her prominent baby-bump, were staring, too. "I think she's gonna get pregnant from that kiss alone, because that is hotter than _anything_ we've _ever_ done and you fucking knocked me up," Casey teased.

All eyes were on Elliot and Olivia, who were still in the middle of the most mind-blowing kiss anyone in the unit had ever witnessed. They couldn't breathe, which was a problem, so they reluctantly pulled apart. Fluttering her eyes open, reeling from the tumult of emotion and arousal she was feeling, staring into his deep-blue, soul-penetrating eyes, her own widened and he felt her tense up and try to pull away from him.

"Liv, don't. Don't run. Please," he whispered.

She blinked. "I, El, uh...this was..."

"An accident? The first time," he said with a chuckle. "We both could have just let it go, gotten a little embarrassed and forgot about it. That kiss, that, holy shit, I still can't feel my legs," he said shaking his head. "That kiss was no accident. Neither is this one." Before she could protest, he pulled her into another heart-stopping kiss, making all of the eyes watching them widen.

"Um, someone might want to let him know that his wife's on her way up here, with the kids," Judge Donnelly said to Alex. "She wants to tell him, in person, she refused to sign the divorce papers," Cragen added.

"That's a problem," Alex said, running to the elevator to stall Kathy.

"They were supposed to be on my desk, signed, by January first," noted Donnelly.

Fin ran over to Elliot and Olivia, cleared his throat and tapped on Elliot's shoulder. The couple pulled apart, blinking, and looked at Fin. "Elliot, man, your wife's here. She's bringing the kids. She isn't going to sign the..."

Olivia didn't stick around to hear the rest of the statement, or watch the fireworks, both over the Hudson and in the bullpen. She ran, fast and far, and it wasn't until she got home, back to her apartment, that she let herself cry. She kissed him, he kissed her, and it was incredible. And then Fin broke her heart by telling her Kathy wasn't going to let him go. Of course not, why would she? What red-blooded woman would? He really was the perfect man, Elliot, and Kathy had been lucky enough to get to him first, the bitch.

She washed the makeup and tears off of her face and changed out of the dress that, until she ran out of the squadroom, Elliot couldn't stop touching. It smelled like him, damn it. She tossed it into the hamper and padded over to the kitchen, reaching for a glass and a bottle of bourbon. She poured and lifted the glass to her lips, savoring the burn of the alcohol, thanking God that it was washing away the taste of Elliot that lingered on her tongue and her lips. She slammed the empty glass down on the counter and was about to pour some more, but stopped. She capped the bottle in a conscious effort to refuse to become her mother. She walked back toward her bedroom, but stopped when she heard a knock at the door. A pounding really.

She opened the door and was shocked to see him standing there. "Elli-" His lips were on hers before she finished saying his name. He pushed her back into the apartment and kicked the door closed behind him, shrugging his coat off, never breaking their kiss.

She pushed him back, away from her, and looked at him. "El, what are you doing?"

"Kissing you," he said, grinning.

"Smartass," she said. "Why? You're wife..."

"Signed the papers, in _front_ of Donnelly, after I told her I was in love with you and had the entire squad back me up," he said, still grinning. "Then, I guess Donnelly was in a giving mood, she looked at the kids and asked them, Liv, fucking _asked_ them who they wanted to live with and said it would strongly affect the custody ruling."

Olivia looked at him, furrowing her brow. "Okay, and they said..."

"Me. They picked me," he said, kissing her again. "Then Maureen yelled at Kathy, Liv, you should have been there. She started screaming about how I at least had the decency to wait until I was separated before doing _anything_ with someone else and then she kind of let it slip that Kathy had been seeing someone for, like, six months, which made Donnelly laugh and then the judge fucking winked at me, Liv. Donnelly, who hates me, winked at me."

Olivia was in shock. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "So, you came here because..."

"I love you. And the only thing that could make this New Year's Eve better is hearing you say you love me. Even if you don't," he said, taking her hand in his. "It'll really start the year off right, Liv. I can start out really, truly happy."

Olivia smiled and tilted her head. "I do."

Elliot leaned in, slowly. "You mean it?"

"Yes, Elliot. I've loved you for years. You can't tell me you didn't feel it when we kissed," she whispered, wrapping a hand around his neck. "You can't tell me you didn't know."

"Oh, like you did?" he asked.

She nodded. "Why do you think I was gonna run? It scared the shit out of me, El. All that emotion in _one_ kiss," she tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. "She signed them?"

"She signed them," he said, smirking. "I handed them right to Donnelly."

Olivia pulled him closer, their lips almost touching. "Then Happy New Year, Elliot, I love you." Their lips touched, this time without people watching, and they let their love carry them into the bedroom and into the new year.

**A/N: Turned out differently then I had planned, but they still get one hell of a New Year's Eve.**


	8. Promise Me One Shot

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE! At least...for these two, it is...**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

The bullpen was teeming with people. Detectives and their families, regular cops, lawyers, victims and their families, anyone and everyone that an SVU lead detective could want to ring in the new year with. But, as he sat staring at her empty desk, he knew the only one he really wanted to be with tonight wouldn't make it.

He blamed himself for the way he was feeling tonight. He blamed _that_ night. He blamed his damn impatience. He couldn't wait till she got back, no, he had to do it all before she left. He blamed the way he just spat out the words and then threw her on the bed, the way they made love five times and didn't get any sleep, the way he drove her to the airport, the way he held on and wouldn't let go until her flight boarded, the way they both cried hysterically as she ran down the gate, the way he stared out the window watching the plane take off and the way he had to be told, seven times, by the guard that he needed to leave. He blamed all of it for the way he felt tonight. Empty.

He looked around the room and spotted his kids, laughing with their Uncle Munch and holding up pictures of Olivia. God, it hurt to even think about her. He smiled, at the knowledge that his kids loved her, almost as much as he did. He walked over to the chipper group. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Uncle Munch was telling us about the time Liv shot a guy and out of reflex he shot Uncle Munch in the butt," Maureen said. "He really had to sit on a special _pillow_?"

"Oh, yeah," Elliot said with a sad smile. "Liv actually, uh, bought it for him. She felt bad about the whole thing. She blamed herself for _me_ getting shot, too, but she..." he stopped, blinking away the tears that stung at his eyes. "It wasn't her fault."

Fin came over, laughing, and handed them all champagne, and sparkling cider for the kids. "Are we talking about Liv gettin' Munch popped in the ass again?"

"Yeah," Kathleen said. "Tell us something else cool that she did. We miss her."

Fin hummed. "Okay, I got a good one. Your dad and I were tailin' a guy, on foot, goin' for about ten minutes, and your dad radios for backup with the location and direction he's heading. So, we're chasin' him down Sixth Ave, big-ass guy, just stops in the middle of the road. And we can't figure out why. Then your dad hits me and I look to where he's lookin' and there's Liv, in the middle of the street, in this little black dress, high-heels. She looked..."

"Gorgeous," Elliot said.

"Yeah," Fin agreed. "And she's got this dangerous smirk on her face, aiming her gun right at the perp, and he's droolin' at her, eye's wide. And Liv says, 'You're really lucky I wasn't having a good time,' and kicks him with her heel, knocking him to the ground. She collared the guy while she was on a date. A bad one, apparently."

They all laughed, and Elliot sighed, remembering the dress, the heels, the look on her face, and the way the dress looked crumpled on the floor of her bedroom. God, he was an idiot. They'd been dancing around their emotions for years and the night before she leaves she was on a date with someone _else._ He almost lost her because he couldn't commit, he couldn't say the words she needed to hear. He took her home that night, and when he finally says them, she runs off to play G. I Jane with the F.B.I. She'd been gone for months and he might as well have died, because he was useless with her gone.

"Hey, everybody," Cragen yelled. "The ball's gonna drop. You can see it from the hall window!" Everyone filed out of the bullpen and into the corridor, beginning their countdown to the next year.

Elliot, however, stood and walked slowly over to Olivia's empty desk. He ran a hand along the slick, metal edge. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," someone whispered in his ear.

He turned and a tear rolled down his cheek when he laid his eyes on Olivia. She was standing there in a pair of jeans and a v-neck sweater, but she'd never looked more stunning. They heard the cheering, the chanting of three...two...and as the crowd in the hall yelled "one," Olivia crashed into Elliot with such fervor, they almost landed on top of her desk.

It was the kiss of a lifetime. He could feel every nerve in his body screaming and her senses were heightened to such extremes she could hear the dripping sink in the bathroom upstairs. They were wrapped around each other, holding on for dear life, when the crowd from the hallway filed back into the squadroom. They all remained in shocked silence and stared at the emotional display before them. Olivia and Elliot, while kissing intensely, had hot tears streaming down their faces.

Elliot's kids, and Cragen, upon realizing _who_ he was kissing, started crying, too.

The couple pulled apart and Elliot ran his hands over every inch of her, his eyes still wide, and red from crying. "You're really here, baby."

She nodded. "I'm home." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "I just got off the plane. All my luggage is in the lobby. I ran up here to get to you. I needed to..."

He kissed her again. "I know." It was then they realized they were being watched. They slowly turned their heads and faced the thirty people in the room. Olivia waved, her longer hair flowing in the slight breeze. The kids attacked her, clambering to be the first to get a hug. She hugged and kissed each one and wiped away theirs.

"Liv," Dickie cried. "Can you promise us you'll never leave again?"

Kathleen nodded. "Dad was a mess without you."

"We all were, really," Cragen said with a shrug, wiping away his own tears.

"My New Year's resolution, this year and every year after, is that I'm _never_ leaving New York," Olivia said, glancing at Elliot. "The rest of the world pretty much sucks."

Everyone laughed and cheered as Olivia hugged Fin, Munch and the rest of her friends and colleagues. She walked over to Elliot when she was satisfied she'd seen everyone and wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you so much," she said.

"Oh, baby, you have no idea what I went through without you," he said, pulling her into him. "The kids were right. You have to promise you'll never leave me again."

"I promise," she said, her brilliant brown eyes sparkling. "As long as you want me, I promise not to leave you."

Elliot kissed her. "Then you'd better be prepared to spend the rest of your life with me, because that's how long I want you." He ran his hand down her body again, kissing her with great feeling.

She pulled away from him, slowly and smiled up at him. "Elliot, did you just..." he stopped her with another kiss, and she felt him smile against her lips. He pulled away, smirking. "Yeah, I did. Happy New Year, Liv."

**A/N: I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!!! **


End file.
